H2O: Just Add Water – Kentauros
by Kentauros
Summary: Rikki discovers yet another magical aspect to the island of Mako, and the only tail it has is made of horse hair.
1. Chapter 1

H2O: Just Add Water – Kentauros

(Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of H2O: Just Add Water; they belong to their creators. This story is written purely for entertainment and not for profitable purposes. I do, however, own all original characters and the plot. If you would like to use the characters I have created, please ask first.)

"What the hell?" Walker had just come to the edge of the tree line on Mako Island only to scramble back behind some vines in order to hide his larger than normal body. The last thing he needed was someone discovering his secret. Yet, he didn't think that was going to be the case, exactly, due to what he was looking at on the beach.

The large fish wasn't all fish. Rather, it had a young woman's body attached from the waist on up. He was looking at a real mermaid! And there he stood: a centaur hiding behind some bushes. Best to introduce himself, he thought, and bounded out of the vegetation.

Rikki had just beached herself on Mako Island and was about to begin drying off when she heard several people coming down the beach. Before she could glance back, she tried to flip herself back into the water. Someone called out, and what he said made her stop. Her eyes went wide as she turned to look that time.

"Wait! Stop. It's not like we'd want anyone to see either of us." He stopped at least ten meters away, with enough of the rocks nearby to obscure him if anyone sailed by on the waters around the island. Rikki gasped at seeing a centaur standing there! What was going on? And what was it about Mako Island?

"I won't hurt you, but I'd guess you're here because of something about this island, right? It changed me. Did it make you into a mermaid?"

"Yeah," Rikki admitted, still unsure of the tan-coated creature of myth. "But I'm going back home if you don't mind. This is just too weird."

"Why? I don't find that you being a mermaid all that weird. Why would you say that about me being a centaur?"

"Look, no offense, but you have a horse's body. And ass."

"And you have a scaly fish's tail. I won't ask how you get rid of toxins and such in your body. But why fight? We have both been affected by this island, whether you want to call it adverse or blessed. And right now, I suspect you'd like to get off of the beach where you could be easily spotted like that as do I. Can you change back to human? I can."

"Yeah, but I don't like some guy I just met to watch. Mind turning your back?"

"Not at all!" He turned to face into the island, still talking. "I'm Walker, by the way. Are there any other mermaids? I haven't yet found anyone else that's turned into a centaur. I have talked to some aborigines about this island and discovered a few interesting facts. Once you have legs, I can tell you more."

"Well, maybe. And you can call me Rikki," she admitted. It was too weird, even for her, a mermaid. She mulled it all over as she finally got dry enough to make the transformation back to human again. The sand was dry thanks to her heat power, so she didn't end up changing back into a mermaid just getting up, her shorts, shirt, and shoes returned to her.

Rikki remained cautious, only stepping forward enough to be away from the wash line of the shore. No sense getting splashed, and no sense getting too close to someone that was mostly a horse.

"Are you done yet? I know fish don't dry out all that fast normally."

"I have my ways," Rikki semi-admitted. "And yeah, I'm done. Are you going to change back, or do I need to leave anyway? Not that I wouldn't. I don't like this, knowing other people can change, too."

"Yes, I can change." He turned to face her, and she had to admit, it was kind of fascinating seeing a real centaur. And then he took a swig of his canteen, closing it up before there was a transition like hers, only starting with water, and then shifting through some kind of wind-blown dirt and plants. It was gone almost as quickly, leaving behind a young man, maybe twenty-seven by her reckon.

He wore an unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt in green and white, khaki shorts, white socks, and hiking boots. If she wasn't somewhat attached to Zane, she could go for a guy like that. Still, better to get to know him, and not to reveal anything else.

"Better?"

"I suppose. At least you don't have that big ass anymore!"

"I suppose that is a turn-off to some. Not that I know anyone that knows. This isn't the kind of thing you just tell anyone, much less show them."

"How observant."

"Look, I'm just making conversation. Plus, it's exciting to me to find someone else changed by this island! Are there any others?"

"No. Just me," she lied.

"That's too bad. It would probably be fun to be able to play with friends like that. I know I wouldn't mind having at least one other friend like me." He paused, realizing he wasn't going to get much out of her willingly. Better to tell what he knew of the island. "I've been all over the island. That's how I found the pool that changed me. But, there's also a pool in a cave not far from here. It seems to have magical properties, too, at least during a full moon. Was that what changed you?"

Rikki wasn't sure to reveal that or not. She decided to change the subject instead, get more info out of him.

"Where's that pool? I want to see it. But, you walk ahead of me."

"Well, okay." Walker turned and headed back into the woods, checking over his shoulder to see if she was following. She was, though keeping a distance. "I don't blame you for being cautious. But keep me in sight. Some of the terrain is treacherous."

"Yeah, I know. I've been here a few times, too." She just followed with her hands at the ready in case he did anything. She had an inner debate on whether to message the rest, and finally did to Lewis. "Lewis. There's a centaur on Mako. Tell no one and come -alone-!" She only hoped he didn't tell anyone. She knew he sometimes couldn't help himself especially when there were new "discoveries" to be made about Mako.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Walker knew she was contacting someone. That just set his mind even less at ease with the situation. He was normally pretty calm, and had found that meditating as a centaur made it not only easier, but had taken him into direct contact with Kheiron and other ancient centaur-spirits. That did make him wonder if mermaids ever did that, or if they just used their magic to the same effect.

Yes, he could sense the magic within her. It was the same as was in him, and that fueled the magic waters of the island. He wasn't sure if that was right, either. Was the water magical or was it that the magic was infused into the geology where water was present? He hadn't yet figured it out, mostly due to how he could make ordinary tap water into magic water, too. He had been at the island that day just to explore. The magic water was ever-replenishing. Tap water became magic water, which could then change more tap water. He was always careful not to let it touch the stream out of the tap, though. Having everyone on the coast turn into centaurs wouldn't be a good thing for most.

"You're not just taking me on some wild goose chase, are you?" Rikki complained after fifteen minutes of hiking. "Mako isn't that big."

"It's even smaller when you have four nimble legs to climb with!" he called back, chuckling. He caught a bit of a smile cross her face, before turning back to his path. "Just watch your step on these stones ahead. Some are loose and you could twist an ankle easily. I haven't walked them on human feet since I first made this trip, which is why I'm going a little slower here."

"Then change back if it makes you happy," Rikki called ahead, not caring what he did at this point. She was hot and getting thirsty. If there were any streams along the way, she'd take a chance they weren't from his pool.

"I'll do that in about a hundred meters. We're almost there. It flattens off ahead and then a gradual slope down." Rikki was glad to hear that. She was tired of hiking; swimming would have been faster.

"There it is! Quite a sight, don't ya think?"

They had approached from the southwest and stopped about twenty-five meters away to take it all in one view. William's pool was over twenty meters across at its widest, and twice as long. It spilled over its banks to the east, creating a creek she hadn't seen before. The pool seemed shallow closest to them, deepening to the back and west side. There were rocky hollows all along those sides with water bursting up in small swells. The land rose at the north in a steep slope of rock, while trees clumped around each side of that rise. The land rose a bit and then fell away to more rocky slopes on the west side, letting an observer see almost the whole island. Rikki had been slowly walking toward it all as she took it in, yet again surprised by Mako Island.

"I never knew this was up here!"

"It's pretty obscured by the vegetation below. There's no good spot from any beach or opening in the canopy to let you see it. Even looking through binocs from the sea won't help. The west side is just a little higher than this glade, and the water doesn't even get to make a waterfall on the east side. It disappears into a crevasse I can't trace after that. I guess Mako only allows certain areas to be magical and doesn't want anyone not 'chosen' to have access."

"Chosen. Right. I wish it hadn't chosen me."

"Be careful what you wish for, you know. Besides, I don't get the feeling you believe that, either."

"Don't be second-guessing someone you hardly know, okay?"

"Okay! Sorry. I guess my own excitement at being a centaur is had to suppress."

"You'd be surprised what you can suppress," she mumbled, unaware of one particular fact about centaurs.

"I'm sure," he answered, looking back to the pool as Rikki gaped at him. She'd hardly said that loud enough for someone sitting next to her at the juice bar, much less for someone standing four meters away.

"Look, is there any water up here I can drink? I haven't had a thing since I left 'home' to come here. I'm not taking a chance with that water."

"Don't blame you. I have no idea what it would do to a mermaid."

"Great! Well, I'm going home. Don't try to follow, either. I can swim faster than you." With that, she stormed off, and back in the direction they'd come and down the opposite slope. She heard him calling after her, yet stopping when she neither answered nor looked back. She didn't know why she'd followed him anyway. What was so special about yet another magic pool of water on Mako?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Rikki was not watching where she was stepping that time and the next thing she knew, she was flat on her butt, screaming in pain. Her foot was at an odd angle, not right for a human foot at all. The pain was too excruciating to ponder it more than that as Walker scrambled down to her.

"Hang on, I'll help you!"

"Lay one finger on me and you'll regret it, horseboy!"

"Someone has to help you, Rikki. Your ankle is broken and you won't get down this slope on your own," he pointed out, even though Rikki knew that. She didn't want to admit it, much less be helpless like that. She was better on her own. If only she hadn't even seen this guy, none of this would have happened. Why didn't she go back into the sea as soon as she'd seen him?

"Look, I know you have some kind of magic powers. I can sense that in you. I have my own; one of them is healing. I haven't yet found anything I can't heal, either. Let me at least try." Rikki only nodded agreement. The pain was getting worse and harder for her to think straight. Just the touch of his fingers on her ankle made her wince, and then the pain started to go away.

She watched him as her mind lost that pain-induced fuzziness. There was no visible effect from his hand, yet it felt warmer than normal, and then her ankle began to move back to a proper angle. He wasn't touching it with his other hand, either, though he did when it looked like the healing was almost done. The pain was gone by then, but Rikki still felt weak. Walker seemed to be done by then, just looking at her foot, and moving it around to make sure it was fully healed.

"Any pain now?"

"No, none," she whispered, swallowing.

"That's good, but you don't look well. I'll have to carry you, and the easy way," he added, standing up to take a swig from his canteen. He transformed back into his centaur body, all tan and strong again. He stepped over to her left side where the rocks were a little flatter, and sat fully down on his belly. "If you can climb on, I'll take you the rest of the way down."

"Okay," she said, her voice a little louder yet still weak. The pain had taken more out of her than she'd imagined. Still, she managed to climb onto his back, grabbing onto his brown mane for stability.

"May I?" he asked, turning half around at his waist to offer to help her on.

"If you can get your arms around my junction, you'll be able to hold on better."

"Okay," she agreed. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Now, hold on. I'll go slowly, but it should be pretty smooth for you." With that, he got to his hooves and began back down the slope. Rikki had her arms around his 'junction' like he'd suggested, looking down to the side and trying to forget she was on the back of anything other than a horse. How did she always manage to get herself into situations like this? She was getting to be worse than Cleo!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Where before their hike up the slope had taken them a good twenty-five minutes, Walker was down it in less than five. She was impressed with his ability to walk on those rocks like that and without actually looking. It was like he trusted his hooves would always step just right, and then they did and she hardly felt the ride.

Walker stopped short of the tree line, well inside of the canopy, and pointed to the shore. There was a sandy-haired man pulling his metal boat ashore. "Do you know him?"

"I can't tell from here," Rikki admitted. There was just too much vegetation in the way. What did this guy have for powers, anyway? Super x-ray vision?

Before either could react further, the other one called out. "Rikki? Rikki! Are you here?"

"I guess that answers that." William looked back to her as she waved him on.

"Take me out there. I'm still weak."

"As you wish," he chuckled, but Rikki didn't care. She needed water and she was developing a headache. Walker clopped through the trees and onto the sand to an utterly floored Lewis. The young man couldn't snap out of it like he had for his mermaid friends. However, upon seeing that the person hung around the centaur's waist was none other than Rikki, he was at her side in a moment, pulling her off, and trying to back them away from the new mythological creature.

"Just back off! I don't know what you did to her, but get out of here, now!" Lewis yelled as Rikki protested.

"Lewis, you idiot! He helped me. I'll explain later. You got any water in here?" she asked, stumbling over to his boat and tossing things about. Finally, a bottle of water! She got it open, only to end up spilling some on herself. Mermaid Rikki finished the bottle on the sand, feeling better by the second. She grinned back to Lewis, as he seemed to want to stare down the centaur. Motioning with a finger, she managed to get him over to her.

"Leave him alone, Lewis. No experimenting, no tests, no nothing! Or else!" she added, holding up a hand, fingers clenched. Lewis grimaced, taking a step back as she dropped her hand. She then motioned with her finger for Walker, and he clopped over, stopping close enough to kneel and drop to the sand next to her.

"Thanks for healing me, and putting up with my—attitude. You're a nice guy, if a bit weird."

"So says the half-fish!" They both chuckled at that.

"Touché. Look, we hang out at Rikki's Café, that includes Lewis, and yeah, there're more of the mermaids. Two to be exact. We manage to keep that secret, like you, I'm sure."

"I've been like this for a couple of years now. So, if no one has seen me in all that time, and I haven't heard of any mermaids, then I'd say we're doing pretty well so far."

"So far. Let's try to keep it that way." She looked past Walker to Lewis, a look of dejection on his face. "Lewis! Wake up! We need to get back now. And you didn't tell anyone did you?"

"Well—" he started, only for two other people to walk up behind him, arms crossed at first, then with their jaws dropped.

"Lewis, how is it you're able to keep our mutual secret but not anyone else's?" Rikki chided, looking up to Walker and shaking her head. "I might as well introduce you. Walker, that one is Cleo, and the other is Emma. When they can pick their jaws up out of the sand, maybe they'll be able to say something back." Walker had turned at his waist to look back, though it was more comfortable for him to get up and face them, bowing that time.

"Pleased to meet you both, Cleo, Emma. So, is this the whole group? Are you a merman, too, Lewis?"

"What? No!" That just made the girls laugh and Lewis blush. Cleo was at his side, giggling with the rest, though still keeping an eye on the centaur.

"How did you get to be a centaur?" Cleo asked, having to look up less than the rest of them. Her height was an advantage for once.

Walker looked over at Rikki and she just held up her hands. "We may be here for a while," he said. "Sure you don't want to swim home anyway?"

"I'll listen again. You can tell us about your healing ability."

"Healing?" Emma asked. "Were you in the mermaid pool, too?"

"If I was, I'd be a merman, I think. Here, let me tell it from the beginning," he said, first glancing around and getting everyone to follow. Rikki had to do a little quick-drying once everyone was clear and joined the rest over behind a rock outcropping for cover. As he took up a position nearest the rocks he sat down again, kicking his rear legs out to the side for comfort.

Walker launched into his tale, including details he hadn't given Rikki originally, such as where he lived, how no one else knew his secret, how he kept a supply of magic water at home, and the fact that it probably required a person to drink it during a full moon like he had before a change would take effect.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Ten minutes later, Walker finished his story for them all. And after hearing about all of his powers, Lewis was looking interested again, and was the first to ask questions at the end.

"Do you control your powers like everyone here, through your hands?"

"Yeah. I haven't discovered any other method. The hand is better at the subtle controls we need."

"Now do you guys see why I was trying to get you to learn how to control your higher powers?" Lewis complained.

"Higher powers?" Walker asked.

"I'd say you have them too, by the sounds of it," Rikki suggested.

"Uh, maybe someone needs to tell me more about your beginnings as mermaids." Everyone else just kind of looked to the other, not knowing what to say, apprehensive at revealing more.

"You know, it's not like I'd tell any of you my secret if I didn't trust you, or that I didn't at least get the feeling one of you trusted me." Walker had looked back and forth at the three girls, stopping on Rikki as he finished. She got the hint, and began telling them about how they'd ended up at Mako, and the pool, and then in it when the moon appeared through the rock chimney. After that, Lewis determined it had taken twelve hours before the effect hit them the next day when they found out what water did upon touching their skin.

"Okay, that's almost the same for how it hit me. If I hadn't brought home water from the pool, I might never have had this happen. And really? While it's a burden on my life, I do like having these abilities. I could probably win championships at archery now!" he laughed, only to get puzzled looks. "Right, forgot about that one. I used to be only okay at archery before, but I did try to improve my skills. They're about the same when I'm human, but, at this moment? I could pin a fly to a tree at a hundred meters."

"I'd have to see that," Cleo said, Emma agreeing.

"Some amazing skill!" Rikki added sarcastically.

"I never said it was useful. I can't think of any situation where it would come in handy. I have to be a centaur to make that happen. Everything else works in both forms, including the 'bad' ones."

"Let me guess," Lewis started, "they happen during a full moon."

"Which is also tonight," Walker finished. "And by the looks of the sun, I think we'd all better get home soon. None of you would be safe around me. Look up the history of centaurs to understand."

"I do," Lewis added, nodding. The rest looked perplexed, other than Rikki. Her mind went there, and she began tugging on everyone else to follow her to the water.

"See you in a little while!" Rikki called back, the others giving curt farewells, too, as they ran to the waters.

"Do you have a boat somewhere?"

"Yeah, on the other side of the island. I wouldn't be able to make it fast enough and get home in time. Do you mind giving me a lift until tomorrow?" Walker pulled out his canteen as Lewis replied.

"Sure! Once you're back to normal."

"Almost there!" Walker took a sip, and was soon sitting on the sand, his human body and clothing returned. The two then dragged Lewis' boat to the water, and made it to the mainland shore in record time. The girls were waiting for them at the docks as they tied up.

"We didn't get to thank you for trusting us with your secret, Walker," Cleo began. "But, we do appreciate you helping Rikki. She seemed to have more energy in the water, too."

"I beat them all by at least ten seconds! It was a rush!"

"Raw healing power will do that. I was in control of fixing your foot, but I also had to heal more of your body, other than the rehydration problem. I can't fix that kind of ailment. I know that one bottle probably wasn't enough, yet you got more from the sea, right?"

"Yeah! How'd you—"

"Really, now! Considering what we know?" he jokingly admonished, and Rikki got a smirk from Emma and Cleo.

"Now, you guys ought to get home. We've only got a couple of hours at the most. I gave Lewis my mobile number if you need to reach me. Don't hesitate to call! And, it was great meeting you all, especially you, Rikki," he added, bowing to her like he had when he was a centaur. Of course, she blushed, grinned, waved, and dashed off with the others.

"I think you've got a friend," Lewis joked.

"Probably. Is Zane much in the way of competition?"

"Depends. Maybe you should challenge him to an archery match."

"I doubt he'd do that. I may call myself lousy at archery as a human, but it is improving. It's even better when I practice on the island. That expert skill seems to be migrating… Well! There's my bike! See ya tomorrow, Lewis!"

"See ya, William Tell!" Lewis joked, getting a good laugh out of the centaur. He hoped Walker got home okay, or there'd be some weird news on the tele the next day.


End file.
